Ate less calories, no weight loss?

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Hey guys,

Okay so this week I tried to eat less than 200-500 calories than I usually eat. My result is very poor. I did not loose any weight, so I'm thinking maybe I need to push my calorie intake instead. I've been sticking with 1200, and yes I know I starved myself this week. But I only wanted to test what would happen when I did that.

My problem is that even if I stick to 1200 calories.I'm not loosing 1 pound a week anymore like I did when I was heavier. It takes me about 4-5 weeks to loose it. I'm going back to 1200 plus try eating more, but I wanted to know how much more calories do you guys think I should eat? My biggest worry is that if I eat more I'll gain 1 lb more. Sorry, if I sound silly for whining about 1 lb, but it really took a while for me to loose weight, and I don't ever want to feel unhealthy again. I love the compliments I get when people say I've lost weight, and I love being able to go to the mall and actually contemplate if I should go for a medium or large shirts. Before my choices was OMG please let this extra large fit me, and it didn't even matter whether it looked cute or not. All that mattered was whether it fits me. Now, I have the option and I'm loving it.

Replies

  • succeedin2
    succeedin2 Posts: 501 Member
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    Are you eating enough food? I dont eat 1200 calories unless I am not working out. When I work out, I need more calories your body is probably in starvation mode. Sometimes I don't think people realize they are not going to gain weight by eating fruit.............it gives you calories but good ones. I hope it works out for you did you set your own calories or are you using the recommended ones?
  • Sparksfly
    Sparksfly Posts: 470 Member
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    I was eating 1200 +plus some of my exercise cals for 2 months. Then I plateaued and upped my base cals to 1400 and started losing again...
    Try it!
  • fitterpam
    fitterpam Posts: 3,086 Member
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    It will take an extra 3500 calories more than you burn to put on one pound of fat. Sounds like you've hit a plateau. Try upping the calories you eat, upping the exercise you do, changing the types of food you're eating. Anything to get your body working again. Less than you need for one week won't hurt you, but don't make it a regular thing.

    Once your body figures out that you're wanting it to lose, it holds on - changing things up will keep it guessing (sounds like the enemy,, but not really.....LOL)
  • lilchino4af
    lilchino4af Posts: 1,292 Member
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    Not being able to see your diary, I can't help you too much, but it could be not how much you're eating, but what. Also, you should eat your MFP reccommended cals every day and at least 75% of your workout cals to provide your body with the fuel to function. Hope this helps!
  • xarrium
    xarrium Posts: 432 Member
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    If you're in starvation mode (which is sounds like you are), it'll take a week or two for your body to adjust to an increased level of calories, so you may end up gaining a couple of pounds. The important thing about the gain is that it can be temporary, as long as you keep fueling your body properly for an extended period of time. Up your calorie intake (maybe to lose .5 pounds a week), let your body adjust a bit (it *will* take time to come out of starvation mode), and keep up with exercise... eventually the weight should keep coming off.
  • FunkBunny
    FunkBunny Posts: 417 Member
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    If you are working out a lot, then you may need more than 1200 calories, so you may want to re-evaluate your activity level and the calories you need in order to sustain weight loss.
    Since eating less didn't get you the results you wanted, try eating just a little bit over, like 300 calories more each day, you may be pleasantly suprised!
  • binkyb00
    binkyb00 Posts: 81 Member
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    I ate about 1300 cals today. I was going to eat more, but my dinner kinda made my stomach upset. I will try again tomorrow, but thanks for your input guys. This place is a great place to get help.
  • astridfeline
    astridfeline Posts: 1,200 Member
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    If you're in starvation mode (which is sounds like you are), it'll take a week or two for your body to adjust to an increased level of calories, so you may end up gaining a couple of pounds. The important thing about the gain is that it can be temporary, as long as you keep fueling your body properly for an extended period of time. Up your calorie intake (maybe to lose .5 pounds a week), let your body adjust a bit (it *will* take time to come out of starvation mode), and keep up with exercise... eventually the weight should keep coming off.

    Agree! You are getting closer to your goal and as you get closer it gets harder to lose weight. You should have a smaller calorie deficit now. What is your BMR--probably not 1200? You should be eating at least your BMR cals as a base amount. But increase the amount of cals you're eating incrementally to help avoid the temporary weight gain.